Subscribe to this blog

Follow Petals! by Email

Search This Blog

The Nambisan novels

Every time I spot a title by Kaveri Nambisan (brilliant surgeon-turned-author), I can't even begin to describe the spear of joy that thrills my reader's heart and piques my curiosity. All i want to do is curl up on a sofa and just read the book, enter the world that is so real to my values and know what the end is like, even if it dissapoints me that nothing ends rosy. That's not the only reason why I adore and idolise this writer.

Like another writer whom I adore, Anita Desai, Kaveri Nambisan also stays far from the publicity hounds, doing her own things in a simple way, not attending the glorious, overhyped publicity stunts that new Indian writers are so prone to doing, almost like a malaise, really. She really knows her stuff and doesnt care about any other frills.

When she wrote her novel 'On Wings of Butterflies', it clearly mirrored her experiences with women as a surgeon. The novel reflected the levels of exploitation that women face in the society, physically, mentally and psycologically. Women, no matter what their financial state is, are always pushed into a corner. It was this reality that helped the author to go forward with this novel.

In one of my favorite Nambisan novels, "Scent of Pepper" takes you on a truly interesting journey into the Coorg community, where the author (being from Coorg herself) mixes some real life stories that she had heard from her grandmother to the plot.

Another of my favorites is "Mango-coloured Fish" which is about a young girl who is unsure about marriage though she is already engaged. She keeps wondering whether she should go forward with the marriage and thinks deeply about the marriages of others whom she knows.

Check out this link and wait for her much talked about novel, "The Story that must not be told. "

Comments

Thank you very much for your comments about my novels. I chanced upon Petals and it made me feel good.I wonder where you live. If in any of the metros, I would love to invite you for the launch of The Story... and the new edition of The Sc of Pepper.my e-mail: kavery.nambisan@gmail.comwith warm regards,Kavery.

Thank you very much for your comments about my novels. I chanced upon Petals and it made me feel good.I wonder where you live. If in any of the metros, I would love to invite you for the launch of The Story... and the new edition of The Sc of Pepper.my e-mail: kavery.nambisan@gmail.comwith warm regards,Kavery.

Hey, I'm thrilled to hear from you. I am from Kerala but now settled in Delhi and continue to be a fan of your novels. My email is swapnaraghusanand@gmail.com and I'd love to be in touch with all thats happening on the literary front. Looking forward to knowing more about your latest books. Best, Swapna

Most Popular Posts

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered the possibility that my thoughts and my personal journey would receive such online abuse or that I would be seen as some one who was trying to insult other castes. The intention of writing is always to share an experience and not to insult others. My experience of motherhood and marriage would be different from yours. When I write about my experience, it is illogical to shout that as being insulting to your experience because our journeys are entirely different narratives.

My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or person here? You are free to disagree but why do you ABUSE? How does that reflect on YOU?

In my article, I shared what trials I went through, without any intention to insult any community.The intention of my article is to question - why are we even exchanging insults over an issue called caste? Should we not be aspiring to be above caste considerations instead of abusing each other …

There are very few mantras that are as powerful as the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. Do read my post: Does Mahamrityunajaya mantra really work?Of course, it does but you need to undertstand the meaning and significance of the mantra first. This mantra is believed to have the power to remove all sufferings, diseases and bestow the one who chants it with good health and long life. It is also believed that constant contemplation of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra can help spiritual aspirants to overcome the cycle of birth and death. What got me fascinated about this mantra is something personal. I learned this mantra from my father but it is my maternal grandmother who chanted it all the time and repeatedly told me of its tremendous power to protect. However, I did not chant this mantra regularly. [ Do READ: THE POWER OF LOVE] But at the age of two, my son was taught some mantras by my mother who explained what it means to him and he becam…

How to Identify Earth Angels by their Traits To know whether you are an Earth Angel, take a look at their known traits that are explained in this book:

You have a graceful and compassionate aura that inspires people.Your presence “lifts” everyone to happier spirits – it is proof of who you really are.You don’t judge others but you overdo the “acceptance” bit. So, you tolerate even those who show no respect for boundaries.You cannot stand anyone suffering or being in pain. You are constantly “rescuing people” because it is in your nature to want to see everyone happy in …

Speaking to Ruzbeh N. Bharucha on this, Dada Vaswani, ''Everyone has to go through it. It is like being stripped naked. There were Spanish mystics such as St. John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila, Raymond and others who described it as 'dark night of the soul' and even in Christian literature, there is a chapter titled 'The Cloud of Unknowing'.'' This phase is known to visit even the best and most perfect 'Masters' before they achieve a state of ''illumination.''So, what exactly does a seeker feel and experience during this scary sounding phase called 'Dark night of the Soul'?[READ: Who is Meher Baba? The Ira…

Ruzbeh N Bharucha's latest book, ICE with Very Unusual Spirits, is a book that I have absolutely enjoyed reading. While reading every chapter, I began to contemplate a lot on the friendships in my life, as the book blends in some of the most valuable teachings of Sage Tiruvalluvar and Sai Baba of Shirdi. The essence of the book revolves around true friendship and how it can make us not just more human but it can make us divine beings too.

As human beings, we thrive on friendship. These days, I've started wondering, ''Is there real friendship out there?'' From experiences that span four decades now (yeah, I am that old!), I am beginning to wonder about the authenticity of most ''friendships.'' [Do read: How to Console a Friend who Lost her Spouse]A friend whom we knew since childhood days invites us home for dinner but when we visit, we don't get served dinner, but popcorn. Our mistake? We arrived in an auto, instead of a taxi (it is a differe…

At Costa Coffee outlet at DLF Mall in Noida today, I hovered blankly over an iced latte. I wasn't in my best mood. You know how it is, there are days when one feels disappointed and let down by the self and withdraw into an inner shell. [READ: Does sincerity have any value?]

And so it happens that the server at Costa Coffee who brought to our table what we had ordered is a smiling young man. He has a big, happy smile on his face. We looked up. He was conveying something with his fingers to my son, who had his headphones switched on and was listening to music. I looked up and understood then that the young man was deaf and unable to speak, which is why he was using sign language to communicate. This is what I think he communicated to my son, ''Enjoy your sandwich.You have a good smile and a good day. Thank you for coming today, happy to serve you." My son was also gesturing back to him with a bright smile and conveying thank you. [READ: Chil…

Exploring
a completely different dimension in his latest film Mumbai Police, Director
Rosshan Anddrews delivers a fast-paced, thriller film after his award winning
fims such as Udayananu Tharam, Notebook and others.

To
flesh out the script written by Boby Sanjay, Rosshan Anddrews ropes in actors
such as Prithviraj, Rahman and Jayasurya to portray three police officers:
Antony Moses, Farhan and Aryan respectively. The
story begins with a phone call that Antony Moses (starring Prithviraj) makes to
Farhan (starring Rahman) saying that he has solved the murder mystery of Aryan
(starring Jayasurya). Just as he says this, there is an accident and Antony
Moses loses his memory. From then, Farhan's attempt is to take Antony through people and
places that are likely to trigger his memory so that they can solve the murder of their close friend and colleague Aryan. A series of events happen, almost hurtling us towards it. And I
am taking the liberty to hand out trophies for the following: 'M…

What is love? It means different things to different people. Have you thought about it? Do read: POWER OF LOVEWhen a mother loves her child, have you noticed that the mother's love doesn't change with time or place or even when a child does not reciprocate it?

Perhaps there is none of the ''my happiness', 'my priority', 'my desires' sort of mentality in the relationship. There is an element of being desireless, in the sense, that the mother wants no material or physical gain from the relationship. The mother may have big dreams of her child becoming X,Y and Z but not necessarily to materially benefit from this. Being itself is enough. 'Being a Mother' is tinged with a sense of happiness despite all the daily struggles and challenges that it brings.

Typically a mother is so engrossed and involved in raising her child, without a sense of a separation of the Self. In a sense, everything else ceases to matter. That kind of love doesn't change…

If you enjoy watching movies, you are sure to have a favorite star, right? However, isn't it funny that most actors and actresses choose not to reveal their favorite stars? I find this particularly so in Malayalam cinema. Recently, I found an interesting exception to this and as a movie buff, I was delighted by the candid admission.

When asked who her favourite Malayalam actor is besides her co-star Nivin Pauly who plays the lead role as Jude, actress Trisha's reply was immediate, 'Mohanlal sir. He's brilliant.' In the interview hosted by Surya' TV channel, the Telugu -Tamil super star Trisha shared lighthearted moments about her role as 'Crystal' in acclaimed director Shyamaprasad's latest film, 'Hey Jude!' She didn't hesitate to say a few words in Malayalam and didn't look red-faced when she got some words mixed up - that's the spirit of a confident, vivacious personality and I really like that about Trisha. [MUST READ: Nivin …

FOLLOW MY BOARDS ON PINTEREST During Holi, I was busy cooking, washing the dishes, moping the floor that had messy footprints. Yup, welcome to the Working Mom's home life on a 'Holi' day:) Now I have put together a few things which helps me to stay focused: 1. Start the morning with something that perks you up Anything that lifts your dormant energy (remember, you woke up from sleep, right?) can work to get your morning rocking. What perks me up is the view from my balcony while I make tea.While the tea leaves boil, the view keeps me grounded and calm as I prepare my mind for a busy day. I see the sky light up slowly, the…